Moving Safely with an Ostomy
Things you can do prior to having surgery and after surgery to help you move safely with an ostomy. Safe movement is something that is very important post surgically but ideally would start before surgery even happens so that it becomes a habit. The key to safe movement with an ostomy is limiting intra-abdominal pressure.
Everyday things like lifting heavy objects and even holding your breath can increase the pressure in you abdominal cavity. This isn’t saying that after an ostomy you shouldn’t lift heavy things, what is important is you do things to help your body get into the habit of limiting the pressure on its own so that if you do go to lift something heavy your body now has the capacity to handle the extra pressure.
Posture – one of the easiest things that you can do is put your body in a good posture. When you adopt a good posture you put all your muscles and joints in positions that help them work in the most efficient way possible which helps them learn to function again as one cohesive unit after surgery.
Pelvic Position
Start laying on you back with you knees bent and feet flat (picture 1a)
The first thing to correct is pelvis position. You want to find the middle or neutral position of you pelvis.
To start you will find the extreme positions to help you feel where the middle is. Start by flattening your back as much as you can into the surface beneath you so that you pelvis is almost lifting off the surface (Picture 1b).
Next rock your pelvis forward arching your back as much as you can while still keeping your shoulders in contact with the surface beneath you. (Picture 1c)
Now that you have found the two extremes (Picture 1b & 1c) rock in and out of those positions, with each time moving less and less each way until you find the middle of that movement (Picture 1d). This is you middle or neutral pelvic position.
Try holding the neutral position as above and straighten your legs out in front of you
Now trying finding that position while in standing.
Rib/Chest Position
In a standing position start by slouching forward (Picture 2a).
In that slouched position imagine someone has tied a balloon to the top of your head and is now slowly pulling you up.
This is a very gentle movement, this isn’t meant to be a stiff “at attention” posture
You should feel tall and proud but comfortable & your sternum (breastbone) should be parallel to your spine (Picture 2b). To check your position stand sideways in front of a mirror, your chest and back should be upright and parallel.
Belly Breathing
By bringing your breath into your belly you allow all of the primary muscles that allow you to breathe to expand and contact efficiently and as they should. Your primary breathing muscles support your abdominals and the muscles that make up your core. When you breathe in through your belly you allow your abdominal cavity to expand and create a bigger and stronger space for pressure to disperse.
· Start in the same position as described above in picture 1a
· Now place one hand on you belly directly over your belly button and one hand on your chest (Picture 3a)
· As you breathe in think about breathing into you belly, you want to try to expand your breath it up into your hand and into sides of your torso.
· As you breathe out your hand should follow your belly as it deflates.
· The hand on your chest is to check where your breath is going. Only the hand on your belly should be moving while you are breathing.
· When lifting try to breathe in. Allowing your breath into your belly gives those primary breathing muscles the opportunity to provide support to your abdominals as well as your back.
Deep Core Activation
The abdominal muscles that you see and feel when you think of a “six pack” are the most superficial of the abdominal muscles. In an ideal world these superficial abdominals should be the last to activate when contracting your core. The deep core muscles should always be the first to “turn on” or activate as they help support you from the inside out.
· To set up, start in the position in picture 1a and start by coughing once lightly.
· Next find the feeling where you are about to cough but haven’t yet and hold it. This is the feeling of your deep core muscles working.
· Imagine you’re wearing jeans and the zipper on those jeans is hot. Without actually moving your body you are going to pull your skin away from that hot zipper. Now you have contracted your pelvic floor.
· Try to hold both those contractions and breath into it using the belly breathing as described above. It will take lots of daily practice; this is not an easy thing to do. So don’t be discouraged if this feels difficult
Created by Certified Athletic Therapist & Exercise Physiologist Ayesha Koome. Remember that this blog post does not replace consulting a trained professional
